26 Easy Ways to SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE Before 2026

Hi everyone, welcome back. As we get closer to 2026, now is the perfect time to pause and think about how you want your life to feel in the new year. A little easier, a little lighter, and a lot more intentional. When we take the time to simplify, everything starts to flow more smoothly. We have more space to breathe, to rest, and to actually enjoy our days. For me, simplifying my life is not about being perfectly organized or productive or planning out every five minutes of my life. It's about letting go of overly complicated routines and habits and expectations, and creating more space for peace and joy. When my daily life feels easy to keep up with, and I can actually keep my cup filled and be able to handle it when life throws me a curveball. So in today's video, I'm going to share 26 easy ways to simplify your life before 2026, so that you can start the new year feeling calm, grounded, and centered. And a big thank you to Rubicup for sponsoring this video. I'll tell you more about them later. For now, as always, feel free to grab yourself something nice to drink if you want, and let's begin. All right, let's talk about it. The first one is to quit one commitment that you don't want to bring with you into the new year. If there's something recurring in your calendar that you always go to, but it's not necessarily super important that you are there. Or maybe something that you've been doing for a while, but you feel like you can't really quit it. However, it's not really bringing you any joy or fulfillment anymore. Ask yourself if it really is true that you cannot quit, or if it mostly just feels that way. And give yourself permission before the end of the year to quit one thing that comes back in your calendar from time to time that you don't want to continue doing next year. You will have until the end of the year to cancel or quit, or maybe tie up some loose ends there, whatever you need to do. And then you can start the new year without that one like commitment or activity kind of weighing you down. So if there's anything that's not aligned with the kind of life that you would like to live starting 2026, then this is the time to see if you can cancel it. Number two, create a self-care list. Write out a list of self-care activities that you enjoy doing, that refuel you or that relax you. And they don't have to be productive self-care activities either, it can be anything that you enjoy doing. Write a list of all these kinds of activities, and write next to them the amount of time that you need for these activities. So that next year it's easier to prioritize and make time for self-care. Because you have your list ready, and whenever you feel like you need a little self-care, a little me time, you can take out your list, choose an activity that fits your mood, and the amount of time that you have available. And then you can do that thing easier. Number three, unfinished tasks. Give yourself the gift of starting out the new year without that little annoying nagging list of things that you know you still need to do, but you've been putting off for a while. Whether that is something that you have in your car that you still need to return, or it's scheduling a doctor's appointment, or a dentist appointment, or a repair, or giving someone something back that you borrowed, whatever it is. Write a little list of all these annoying little tasks that are unfinished, and try to get them done before the end of the year. So that that stuff is not like nagging at you starting in 2026. Number four, simplify your periods. If you have periods, take a little moment to think about how you can make them easier, or nicer, or simplify them for yourself in any way. So as someone whose periods are always quite challenging to deal with, emotionally, mentally, physically, I am of the opinion that whatever I can do to make it easier for myself, I am allowed to do. For example, I always schedule out my periods in my calendar in advance, so that I already know when they're going to happen, and I'm not scheduling things in my calendar during that week, that I could also schedule sometime else. To give myself that extra time for the extra rest that I will need. I make sure I have my cozy things, like my hot water bottle, and I also just lower the expectations that I have for myself around doing chores, or workouts, or cooking elaborate meals. It's like if I feel up to something, then I will do it. But if I don't, then I just don't. What also has been a game changer for me is switching to reusable period products. So no more having to go out and buy single-use products every time, no more issues with leaking or being uncomfortable. So I have been using ruby cups award-winning period products for about a year and a half now, and I'm very happy to say that this video is also sponsored by them. Ruby cup makes reusable menstrual products like period cups and underwear. I have been using their flow freedom underwear myself, and these are actually amazing. They are comfortable, eco-friendly, and they hold the equivalent of three tampons, so they've got you covered even on your heaviest days. The fabric feels buttery soft, and the absorbent part goes all the way up to the back, so I feel so safe with these. I have never leaked once. They are also standard 100 by ecotex certified, so no harmful substances. I also have their fearless underwear. These are designed for lighter days. I love the designs on these, and I can wear these when I know that my period is going to start soon, as well as the last two days. Washing them is a breeze. Just rinse them in cold water and throw them in a wash on a cold delicate cycle. They dry in no time, easy peasy. Plus, ruby cup is such a cool company. They use eco-friendly packaging and shipping, they finance an educational system in Kenya, and for each ruby cup purchased they also donate one to someone who doesn't have access to safe period products. I honestly wish I switched over years ago. My periods are so much easier to deal with now, and of course it's better for the environment as well. Ruby cup has saved more than 15 000 tons of plastic, and it helps you save money because these are reusable for years and years. If you want to try their underwear or their period cup, which also by the way has hugely positive reviews, then you can click my link in the description box and use my code vera15 to get 15% off your order. So big thank you to ruby cup and let's continue with the video. Number five, set up a simple meal rotation. Make a list of three to five easy go-to meals that you enjoy and that you can make quickly, and then you can rotate these during the busier weeks. So this cuts down on decision fatigue and food waste, and you will always have ingredients that you actually use. Number six, start your days with an easy healthy make-ahead breakfast. I usually do either chia pudding or oatmeal. Both can be made the night before you go to sleep, and they are easy, quick, healthy, tasty, just a really good start to my day. I'm always the kind of person who wants to eat basically straight after waking up. But if that's not you, then you can also just do this and take it with you and for example eat at work. If you want to try my chia pudding recipe, I actually show how to make it in a healthy habits video. So I will link that for you right there and in the description. Number seven, have a simple preparation evening routine. What can you do the night before you go to sleep to help out your future self the next morning? Is there something that kind of always trips you up in the morning and gives you stress or costs time when you're getting ready to leave? And is there something that you can do ahead of time to make that easier? Whether that is already choosing what you're going to wear, or packing your bag, or making your lunch ahead of time. It might take a little time to actually turn this into a habit, but it will definitely be worth it in the end. Number eight, make a to-don't list. Instead of adding more to your to-do list, think about the things that you maybe want to stop doing in 2026. Like doom scrolling before bed, or over committing, and saying yes to everything. So write a little list of all the things that you intentionally want to let go of in 2026, so you can have that list ready for you throughout the year. Number nine, get rid of one small distraction. Stop letting small distractions eat up big chunks of your time. It's so wasteful to spend your time on things that really don't matter so much in the end. Whether that is an addictive phone game, or some kind of newsletter that always makes you pause what you're doing and go shopping, or maybe it's a notification for something. See what is distracting you from what you actually want to do, and see if you can quit that before the end of the year. Number 10, let go of one should. We all have things that we feel like we should do. Some kind of expectation that we have placed on ourselves, that maybe doesn't even come from anyone else, just comes from us. And take a little time to reflect on what it is that you feel like you should always do, and whether or not that's actually realistic. It can be an easy thing, like feeling like you need to vacuum every day, when it could also work to vacuum every other day, or every three days, depending on the situation. Or you need to wash your hair every day, and it could also be every other day, things like that. But it can also be bigger things, like feeling like you always need to be productive, even during your downtime. That your hobbies need to be productive, for example. Or that you always need to wake up early, or that you need to take a cold shower, or whatever it is you feel like you should do. Let go of one should, that doesn't really serve you. Number 11, declutter and organize the pictures on your phone. This might be a little bit of a bigger one, depending on how many photos you have on your phone. But you can just set a timer on your phone, 10 minutes a day, go through the albums, and delete as much as you can. Because I feel like with all of these photos, more is not better. More actually keeps us from enjoying the ones that actually do matter, and that help us to relive positive experiences and memories. So do you really need to keep a photo of that salad that you had three weeks ago? Or like, is it not going to matter to you a year, two years, five years from now? If not, delete as many photos as you can. And then with the ones that are left, you can see if you can organize them into separate albums by year, or by event, things like that. But deleting is step one. So if you give yourself 10 minutes a day for the rest of the year, I can guarantee you that you will enter 2026 with a much better looking photo album on your phone. Number 12, create a drop zone. Simplify the process of leaving your home and coming back to your home by having a zone where everyone drops their keys, a place where everyone stores their shoes, hangs their coat, maybe hangs their bag or backpack, somewhere that makes sense and that everyone knows that that's where these things go. To keep them from cluttering up the rest of your space or having to look for your keys every time you want to leave the home. Number 13, you knew this one was coming up. Turn off all non-essential notifications on your phone. One of the best ways to simplify your life and have it be more mindful and intentional and take back charge of when you want to be on your phone and not the other way around. Notifications are noise and they are cluttering up your mental space. We know from research that when we see or hear a notification, our brain goes into alert mode. We need to check what it is and before you know it, you're gonna be spending like 30 minutes scrolling on your phone. So take back charge and turn off all notifications that are not essential. Speaking of which, number 14, create a phone tray. I talk about this one often, but if you haven't done it yet, then here's the sign to get started. Have a little place in your home and this can be on a tray like I have, it can be a little box, it can be whatever works for you. You probably don't have to buy something for this, you probably already have something you can use. But that is where your phone lives. So you put your phone there and you don't have it with you, like on you all day, whenever you're at home. This is one of the best things you can do to actually create physical distance between yourself and your phone. So you have to walk all the way over there to grab it and you don't have it like on you all the time. It just creates that little bit of extra friction and it will really help you to have a better relationship with your technology. It might take some practice and getting used to, but this is one of the best things that I have ever ever done and I cannot recommend it enough. Number 15, plan one no plans day. Take out your calendar and before the new year starts, locate one day that you can plan out in your calendar specifically not to have any plans. So no activities, no errands, no must-do's, whatever you want to do on that day. Even if it's nothing, everything is fine. That is your day. Simplicity often starts with space, with emptiness, with breathing room. So I think that having one day for yourself like this, and if that's not possible, maybe half a day if that works better. But try to see if you can find a day. I think, yeah, that can be kind of life-changing. Number 16, create a calm corner. Choose one spot in your home where you can relax. Whether that is a comfy chair, or a cozy corner, or a nook, or a window seat, or whatever you have. That's going to be your relaxing spot in 2026. Whenever you want to unwind, you can go there. Try and keep it just clutter-free and clear. Have it be like a little bit of nice extra cozy, extra comfortable, and have that space ready for you in the new year. Number 17, purposefully limit your options by making do with only one streaming service. Minimalism has really made me see that more options is not better in any way. Usually it's actually the other way around. And this is something that we've actually been practicing with ourselves this year when it comes to streaming services. We've been making do with just one. We personally have only HBO max currently, it doesn't matter which one you choose. But the beautiful thing is that we have been discovering movies and shows on there that we never would have watched if we also had Netflix, or Disney plus, or Amazon, or whatever it is. And we've been having tons of fun with them. For example, we recently watched Hello Ladies, and it was such a super funny show. It was very awkward, I had to like watch like that. But it was a super fun show. We never would have watched it if we also had all the other ones with all like more well-known shows. Having more options usually just means being more overwhelmed, and also it's super tempting to only watch the things that everyone else is watching. And it just creates a ton of FOMO too, it's expensive. So I really enjoy just making do with what I have, and it's been super fun. Number 18, have a snack reset. I'm doing this currently starting this week, because we have been snacking a lot more than usual the last like month or so. And we have the holidays coming up for us too, our anniversary is coming up as well. So we have some snacks to go for the rest of the year. So I am doing a snack reset from this week until like the holidays. This doesn't mean that I'm dieting, or like ramping up my workouts, or anything crazy like that. Just kind of like back to basics. And you can set rules for yourself, like maybe you're allowed one snack on the weekends or something. But we have been going a little bit crazy. So for me, it's just a matter of not buying things. Like not buying the potato chips, or the chocolate, or grilled cheese. We've been having a lot of vegan grilled cheese lately. So yeah, a little reset can't hurt. And something that can help with that too, number 19, to keep some healthy snacks on hand. It really does help if you have some nice healthy things that you can snack on. So whether that is some fruit with peanut butter, I really like these ones. We keep them in this thing. They are chickpea crackers. I really enjoy these for some reason. So have something in the home that you can snack on, that is a healthier option. Number 20, let go of a grudge. Forgive someone, or forgive yourself. Holding on to resentment, regret, guilt, anger, it's just not serving you in the new year. So letting go of that, choosing to let go of that grudge, doesn't make what happened okay. But it just means that you are ready to not hold the weight of it. Because these things take up a lot of quiet mental space. So think of it as emotional decluttering. You're just freeing up energy for better things, for joy, for intentionality, for purpose, for relaxation, for peace of mind. You could also journal about this, or write a letter to someone, or to yourself, and just say like, I'm letting go of this, and I'm moving forward. Number 21 is an exercise, and that is your wheel of life chart. If you've never done this exercise before, it is a very simple like reflection tool to see how balanced your life is currently. So you just write a circle, and you divide it up into sections. Things like health, finances, career, relationships, home, fun, personal growth, things like that. And then you rate your satisfaction for each of these from 1 to 10. It gives you a very visual snapshot of what's going on in your life. And it helps you to redirect focus to the areas that you feel could use a little bit more love and care and attention. And to actually do that intentionally, rather than trying to improve your whole life all at the same time. You can find examples online if you just google wheel of life. Or you can create your own as well, just kind of have fun with it. Number 22, a pain point for many people. And that is to set up an organizational system for your paper clutter. Let 2026 be the year that you're finally getting on top of your paper clutter. The first step is to select one place in the home where all the papers go. As soon as they come into your home, that is where they go. A little bin, or a little box, or a little folder. Everywhere puts their papers there, and then once a week you go through it. Immediately get rid of everything that you no longer need to keep, and file the ones that you do need to keep into, like I said, a folder of some kind. The second step can be to handle the backlog of all the papers that you've already collected in your home. But if you don't set up the organizational system first, and you wait for all that paper to magically be dealt with, then you might not ever start. So start up with the system first, and then once that is kind of like moving along a little bit, you can start to do the same basically with all the papers that you still have. Number 23, let go of one thing that you are keeping out of guilt, so that you're not bringing it with you into 2026. Letting go of the feeling, the burden, the guilt, the shame, whatever it is. Maybe you bought something that was way too expensive and you haven't used it much. Maybe it was something that someone gave you, or something you inherited, or just something you regret buying for whatever reason. Maybe something doesn't fit you anymore. Take that one thing, that if you're thinking of something right now as I'm saying this to you, really consider letting go of that before the end of the year. You could also take a picture of it if you don't want to like really let go of it in the sense that you can never actually look at it anymore. It kind of depends on what it is. But make the decision for yourself to not take that feeling with you into the new year. We all keep things out of guilt, I am no stranger to that feeling. But I also know how nice it can be to like that. Number 24. Simplify your skincare or beauty routine. Take a look at the products that you actually use and love, and the ones that are just kind of there taking up space. Because if you have fewer steps in your routine, it will save you money, it will save you time every time, and it might even give you a similar result in the end. It depends on what it is. So if you enjoy doing something still, then of course you can keep doing that next year too. But if you can simplify, just take out some steps or some products, then that can be like a true win for yourself every day from now on. Number 25. Unsubscribe from emails that you never open. I'm not even talking about dealing with all the emails that you have in your inbox already, like that can be quite a big project depending on how many you have. If you want to do that, great, do that. But you could also just be like, okay until the end of the year, every time I get an email that I would normally just delete unopened or let it sit there, I'm going to open it and unsubscribe from it. So that I don't get those emails again in the future. That already saves you a little bit. And number 26. Simplify your finances. There are two quite easy ways to do this before the end of the year, and that is to automate things. So if you have recurring bills that can be automated, do that. If you have some savings, you can automate that. I personally don't think I have any recurring bills that are not automated, so I very rarely have to actually like manually pay a bill. And also every month I automatically set some money aside to my savings, so I don't have to like think about that either. And it just saves up some time every month. And that's it, 26 small ways that you can simplify your life before the new year starts. I can't believe I'm saying this, that the new year is already like so close, we are getting so close to the holiday season too. So I would love to know from you, like is there one of these 26 that really sparked something in you? Of course you don't have to do all of them, so let me know in the comments. Or if there's something else that you want to work on before the end of the year, let me know too. And if you're thinking that your home could also use some simplifying and decluttering, I recently uploaded a video where I shared 26 easy things to declutter before 2026. These are also things that are not like too big, too time consuming, but can already save you a lot of space. So if you're thinking that your home could use some love, I will link that video for you right there also and in the description box. Huge thank you to my channel supporters on Patreon and YouTube memberships. You really help me to keep this channel going and keep sharing the free videos for everyone on YouTube. So very big thank you, and links are also in the description. Wow it's getting so dark all of a sudden and it's only noon, so pretty crazy. I'm gonna let you go. Huge thank you to Rubicup for sponsoring the video and supporting the channel as well. I highly highly recommend checking them out if you're interested. They have really just simplified my periods so much. So huge thank you to Rubicup, and link is in the description. As always, questions, comments, conversations down below. Thank you so much for being here until the end of the video, I really appreciate that. And I'll see you again soon. Okay bye bye. Does anyone have a good crime thriller book recommendation? Preferably like a little bit Scandi Noir, because I finished the Wallander series, which is from Sweden. And I also am about to finish the Erlandor series, which is from Iceland. And these are also like a little bit old-school 90s, 2000s, and I really enjoyed them. So if anyone has a good recommendation, I would love to hear it.